Customers who wish to set up electronic and/or mechanical systems, such as computer networks, in their homes or offices generally have to figure out on their own what components they need to purchase. This may involve visiting several vendor and/manufacturer web sites or locations, each of whom have a tendency to push their own products. Additionally, product literature is often limited in nature, describing only how to interface a given product with another product in the manufacturer's line. Customers who wish to mix-and-match components from various manufacturers may be left to their own devices. Additionally, users may be unfamiliar with newer products. What is needed is a solution that allows customers to automatically determine their component needs and facilitates sales of those components.